The bear canister: an essential piece of Pacific Crest Trail equipment that reminds thru-hikers of what they're truly afraid of out in the wilderness - being torn to pieces by a ravenous bear in the middle of their night (but we all there know there's scarier things than bears out there). If you're
The Best Stoves For Hiking The Pacific Crest Trail
Using data from the Pacific Crest Trail survey, I've come up with a list of the best PCT stoves. That is, if you decide to use a stove at all on the PCT (all the cool kids are stoveless). If you're planning a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike and you've told anyone about your crazy plan to cross the
The Best Pacific Crest Trail Water Filters
Using the data from the Pacific Crest Trail survey, I've come up with a list of the best PCT water filters and treatment systems. It's a question that many hikers struggle with every year (unless you don't believe in treating because your thru-hiking power level is over 9,000) - how to turn
The PCT Gear Guide: Class of 2018 Survey
In the second installment of our look at the Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey, we are taking a deep dive into the gear hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail used this year. This includes not only what PCT gear was the most common, but what PCT gear performed best over the course of the trail (and
The PCT Gear Guide: Class of 2017 Survey
In an effort to improve Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey, I have continued to expand the questions I ask hikers. This year, I have taken an even deeper dive into finding out what gear hikers used, but more importantly, what gear made hikers successful and what gear hikers wanted to burn or
PCT Class of 2016 Survey: The Gear Guide
For this past year's Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey, I collected more data than I have any other year (thanks again to everyone who participated). To make sure we're getting the most out of this data, I've decided to break down the survey results into more detailed posts, including
10 Things You’re Forgetting On Your Pacific Crest Trail Hike
As much as I want all of you to believe that you're taking far too much with you on the Pacific Crest Trail, there are probably some small items that you're overlooking in your search for the ultimate PCT gear list. Strangely enough, it turns out a lot of the items you're forgetting are generic
The Ultimate Pacific Crest Trail Packing List
It's been a few years since my Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike, and the gear in my pack has changed dramatically. The idea of another thru-hike (PCT or otherwise) interrupts my thoughts on a daily basis, and I fear that the only way to silence this persistent nagging voice inside my head is to once
Bear Canister Tips And Strategies
For those unfamiliar with the concept, a bear canister is a bear-proof container used for storing food (and basically anything with a smell/fragrance) in the backcountry. What's that? Bear-proof, but not human proof? Yes, because although they could literally (and effortlessly) tear us to pieces,